Living In The Kingdom Of God June 27, 2024

 Living In The Kingdom Of God June 27, 2024

End of June greetings and wishes for God’s greatest blessings to all His lovely Saints around the world,

So, here we are half way through 2024.

What does the Lord have yet in store?

He has told us to shake off the coals or be wrecked on the shore.

So, dear Saints, what can He tell us more?

LET US SHAKE OFF THE COALS FROM OUR GARMENTS. ORIGIN OF THE HYMN THAT IS SUCH A GENERAL FAVORITE. BY W. W. BLAIR. (EDITOR's NOTE.-ln almost every prayer service the Saints sing the old hymn known by the title given above, or as "The pebble has dropped in the · water." Thousands of hearts have been touched by its spiritual fervor. Few perhaps to-day know how the hymn came to be written. The account of the incidents leading up to and surrounding its origin as given below is from the pen of W. W. Blair, as it appeared in the Saints' Herald, February 15, 1864.) BROTHER SHEEN: I must tell you something more of the good time we had last October, in visiting around with Brothers Joseph, Alexander, and David Smith, and Bro. William Davis. I think the incidents which I shall relate will be duly appreciated by the Saints. On Friday, October 16, I accompanied the brethren to Gallands Grove. We stopped at the house of Bro. Alexander McCord. That night Joseph had a remarkable night vision, which he told in the morning. He said: "I saw in my dream a woman, whom I was to receive into my charge, and under my watchcare and counsel, and she was almost wild, having been held captive a long season by barbarians, who had degraded and dishonored her. She was nearly naked. The clothes that were upon her were tattered and torn, and very filthy withal, and her whole appearance was that of extreme wretchedness. In her pitiable condition, she looked with distrust upon all around her, especially on me, apparently fearing lest I, too, would abuse and disgrace her. My heart was deeply moved with her deplorable condition. I ordered that she be washed, her hair combed, and that suitable apparel be given her, including clean underclothes. My request having been complied with, I now saw her again. But how changed, how entirely different from what I saw ~her last. Her garments now were of spotless purity, her eye beamed with joy and delight, her fears and misgivings were entirely banished, and she expressed her unbounded gratitude to me, as her friend and benefactor, while she clasped her arms around my neck, and imprinted upon my cheek a multitude of kisses, with all the tender affection of a mother." I said when I heard it, that the dream or vision was of the Lord, and that the woman was the church, her captors a corrupt ministry, her wild, ragged, dirty condition, represented her sinful, demoralized state, her distrust represents what is being said by many of the Saints in Europe and America, that is, that by and by Joseph will lead into the same corrupt doctrines and practices as Brigham Young, Strang, and others. The clothing in clean apparel, represents the redeeming of the Saints by righteousness, the balance is easily understood. How plain this points out Joseph's mission, and what will be done ....DAVID H. SMITH. who for the past ten days had · · been sorely afflicted with a sore throat, now began to feel like himself. He "tuned his pipes," and with his brethren, sang the songs of Zion, many of them his own composition, till we all forgot the sorrowful world without, and felt that paradise was well nigh regained, and we were made to rejoice in the blessedness of our heavenly prospects, and present joys. May the Lord minister many such happy seasons to his Saints. From here we went to Manti. In one of the evening prayer meetings Brother Joseph spoke in prophecy, relative to the work the Lord had lately begun in that place; immediately upon this David arose in the congregation, and in the Spirit of the Lord, sang the two first verses of the following beautiful hymn, which he afterward wrote down: Tune: "Fading 'Flowers." "Let us shake off the coals from our garments, And arise in the strength of the Lord; Let us break off the yoke of our bondage, And be free in the joy of the word; For the pebble hath dropped in the water, And the waves circle round with the shock; Shall we anchor our bark in the center, Or drift out and be wrecked on the rock? "Let us waken our songs in the morning, And let them at noontide resound; The evening will find us rejoicing, While the law in our hearts will be found; For the Lord is remembering Zion, And bringing her comfort once more; Shall we anchor our bark in the center, Or drift out and be wrecked on the shore. "Thank the Lord for the plan he hath given, That will render us pure as a child, That will turn this cold earth into heaven, With his Spirit so holy and mild; And the hope of a portion in Zion, Shall cheer us till trials are o'er; Let us anchor our barks in the center· And be safe from the rocks on the shore." The congregation seemed spellbound; as with eagerness they listened to catch the heaven-inspired song, as it fell from his lips in all its richness and power. Every soul was thrilled, and every heart melted under the sweet, peaceful influences of the Holy Spirit, which attended and bore witness to the word.

I’m sure we all love to sing this wonderful hymn, but it, like the scriptures must mean more and be more in our daily walk in the Kingdom, than just beautiful words. We are called to examine our own lives, even with the proverbial “fine toothed comb” to find and expel from our lives anything and everything that is not in accord with God’s will for us. Do you have even the least degree of any kind of ill will, malice, hatred, dislike, not wanting to be around someone for whatever feeling or such? If so you have a coal on your garment, in your heart and on your mind. To be One with Jesus, we simply must shake off all those coals and the many more that could be listred.

Make a list of the coals on your garment. Be totally honest with yourself. It is better for us to examine ourselves before being examined by the all seeing eyes of God. Anything we think, say, or do that is not in accord with God’s Word must be shaken off so that we might have a garment described in Revelation 19:8 “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of Saints.”

God Bless

Paul Gage

PS Today is the day and 180th year of Joseph Smith Jr and Hyrum Smiths death.